Siren Call
by Zanecole421
Summary: It was meant to be a simple research trip. Dipper never expected to be rescued by pirates and fall in love with a siren. But that same siren is wanted by the very pirates that rescued him. How far will he go to protect himself and the siren even when horrible revelations come to light? Pirate AU. BillDip.
1. Fine Day for Sailing

**A/N: This was a random idea I had and I just really like the idea of pirates so I just mashed two of my favourite things together. I did a bit of research to get the pirate terminology right but if guys spot something I got wrong please tell me and I'll fix it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own 'Gravity Falls' it belongs to Alex Hirsch and his amazing team. I am not making any money from this fic.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _What_ _a_ _find_ _day_ _for_ _sailing_. Wendy thought sarcastically as she ran from the mizzen mast to the main mast to help with the sails. The rain was beating down hard right into her face, her hat useless because of the wind direction. Her eyelids blinking rapidly trying to keep the rain out so she could see. The strong wind was also making her eyesight blurry. The life of a pirate was never easy but in the middle of a freak storm – a hundred times worse.

The day had started out normal enough. The sea was calm, the sky clear and the sun bright. And then the storm happened. There was no warning. Dark grey clouds rolled in quicker then you could say 'land ahoy', the heavens opened and the rain pelted anyone unfortunate enough to be outside and the sea churned and bubbled throwing the ship in all directions.

They couldn't run for cover though. They had to pull the sails in to protect them, the only had one spare set in the hold and it wasn't complete. Sails were expensive, especially complete sets. They did have spare pieces of canvas but a patch job would slow them down. Not that they were in any particular hurry but they were chasing someone.

As she ran, her eyes were up doing a quick head count. Most of the crew was above on the yards trying to control the upper sails. The lower sails had already been pulled in and the mizzen and fore masts hadn't been loosed so that was in their favour but the upper sails were the large ones that needed a strong hand to control at the best of times.

Seeing that everyone was accounted for; Wendy herself started to climb the rigging to reach the drenched yards, they were slippery even in good conditions and she prayed that everyone's life line was secure.

Grenda was controlling one rope of the large sail by herself. Her strength and size were very beneficial in times like these. Candy; Robbie; Tambry; Lee; Melody; Nate; Thompson; Tats; Tad; Toby and Soos were all closing the sails and they were struggling. The ropes themselves were thick and heavy making them hard to grip. The raining assaulting them didn't make it any easier. The wind howled making it hard to hear anything anyone said so they relied on hand signals but again they needed their hands to grip the ropes. It was a difficult battle but they would manage. They always did.

The crew was practically family and they all trusted and understood one another. Wendy knew there were no others she would rather face the seven seas with. She had just reached the yard Tambry and Robbie were on when the wind whipped the rope out of Tambry's hand. With one of its anchors gone the sail was pulled further out taking Robbie with it. Wendy didn't waste any time in jumping forward to grab it. It was a stupid idea as she could have slipped and fallen to her death but she rather it was her than any other.

Tambry and Robbie shot her a quick smile of thanks before all three of them turned to the task at hand. In perfect synchronisation they pulled the sail in together. They tied it down securely and moved upwards to help with the other sails. With all of the crew in synch the job was achieved in no time.

Wendy gave to hand signal to head below deck. The storm was still raging and they needed to change into dry clothing. No one could afford to be ill. They were a small crew on a vast ship, everyone needed to be ready at all times.

As Wendy hit the deck she saw Old Man McGucket cackling to himself as he struggled with the ship's wheel. He'd lost his mind long ago but he was the best navigator Wendy had ever met. He always seemed to get them to their destination without much trouble and his crazy stories were always hilarious. They were mostly at his expense and he didn't understand why they were laughing half the time. He was currently a battling a raging storm but he looked like he was having the time of his life. Wendy smiled faintly; in all honesty he was one of her favourite people.

Wendy entered the galley and proceeded to shed her overcoat, shirt and hat; leaving her in her undershirt, trousers and boots. She rung her long ginger locks out by the door and twisted it up into a bun to keep it out of her face. She sat down at the table in the middle of the room and observed that everyone else was in similar states of undress. Lazy Susan pushed a bowl full of her best soup towards her which Wendy dug into greedily. As she swallowed she could feel it warm her body down to her toes and through her bones. She gave a joyous sigh and saw the beaming smile spread across Lazy Susan's face.

Wendy gazed around the room again and noticed some people missing. Soos was undoubtedly in the hold looking for rope, canvas and other tools to repair the ship and any damaged sails when the storm stopped. Gideon was treating any scratches and other injuries in the infirmary, he was insisting that they needed to make port soon to replenish his stocks. Pacifica was indisputably in the ammunition cabin patching any holes so that her precious gunpowder didn't get wet and therefore unusable. Guns were great but Wendy preferred to get up close and personal with her enemies.

And the Captain; the Captain was doing what they did best, bossing everyone around without showing their face. Wendy alone knew what the Captain looked like as she was the Quarter Master and was able to make decisions without the Captains approval and all of the Captain's orders were relayed through her. No one dared question it out of fear, for a Captain that never showed their face must be horribly disfigured beyond imagination. That was the assumption and Wendy scoffed at them as she knew the truth. It was nowhere close to what the rest of the crew thought but it was funny to hear their theories.

Wendy jumped from face to face thanking the gods above that they hadn't lost anyone. Every person was important to her and she didn't know what she'd do if someone died. It was a risk of course and she'd witnessed it before but she hoped she'd never see it again without just cause.

She finished her bowl and handed it back to Lazy Susan, taking another for the Captain. She yelled her goodbye over the various chatter as she left. She ambled down the narrowed corridor and opened the door to the Captain's quarters without knocking.

The room itself was large but with not a lot of room due to all the clutter. A bed was pushed against the far wall and it remained unmade from that morning. Clothes were thrown all over the room, with a small mountain at the base of the open wardrobe. Parchment was balled up and scattered, most of which under the desk that was pushed against the wall opposite the bed. The Captain was situated here in their chair hunched over a map that they were studying in the candle light. Other maps and various pieces of parchment were pinned in the wall above the desk. To the left of the desk was a small animal bed that held a very round pink pig.

The pig oinked at Wendy as she entered and the Captain grunted indicting that they were aware of Wendy's presence.

"Well, this storm sure appeared out of no where huh Captain?" She stated as she put the bowl and spoon on the desk, careful not the cover the map or hit over an inkwell. The Captain grunted again and reached for the spoon without a word. The only sounds for the next few minutes was the Captain eating and mumbling to themselves, the pig shifting around in its bed, the wind roaring and the rain pounding the small window above the bed. Wendy sat herself on a barrel in a corner as she waited for the Captain to finish, listening to the rain.

The Captain dropped the spoon back into the bowl, echoing in the silence of the room. Wendy knew what the Captain was mumbling about and wanted to say something but she was unsure if it was her place to.

 _Bollocks to it_. Wendy thought. _I'll say it anyway. I don't care if they yell at me_.

"We'll get him Captain. I swear if it's the last thing I do. I'll give you his head on a silver platter." Wendy spoke softly knowing the Captain could hear her over the howling wind outside.

The Captain locked their eyes with Wendy's, chocolate meeting green. In that one stare Wendy felt the Captain's desperation and she meant what she said. She would do it or die trying.

"That siren thinks he can get away from me," the Captain said quietly but their voice was filled with vengeance as they turned back to the desk to pick up the dagger that lay there. They ran their finger up and down the blade as they spoke. "He's got another thing coming; we had a deal!"

The captain then stood abruptly and with deadly accuracy threw the dagger with all of their strength at the opposite wall. It was lodged deep in the wood that had a roughly drawn picture of a siren. There were several dents and chips in this part of the wall. The Captain was breathing heavily in anger and Wendy walked over to them slowing, putting a reassuring hand on their shoulder.

"I know Captain. We'll find him." And then as an afterthought. "Both of 'em."

* * *

 **A/N: I've been working on this one for a while and I'm so glad to finally post it. I've also got a new story called 'Shelter' posted for Gravity Falls as well and I am also planning the third fic to my 'In Time' series. Check those out if you like this one.**

 **Reviews appreciated. All my love!**


	2. To Drown at Sea

_How had it come to this?_ Dipper thought as he tread water, trying his best to stay afloat. He'd never been a strong swimmer and in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight, Dipper knew he was going to die.

He knew he shouldn't prolong the inevitable but his survival instinct was strong and refused to allow him to give up.

And the day had started so well. He'd been looking forward to it for months. Ever since Great Uncle Ford had said he wished to improve his knowledge on aquatic monsters.

His Great Uncle Ford was a researcher and it was his dream to unlock all the mysteries the world had to offer and investigate the supernatural and enigmatic.

Many other scientists and researchers didn't believe his wild claims and Dipper himself would have scoffed at them; if he hadn't lived it when he was twelve. He'd been obsessed ever since.

The other scientists had called him insane and all of his research was discredited. All he had left were his journals that Dipper had accidently found all those years ago. Being stripped of his title of Doctor had thrown him into a deep depression, causing him to disappear for thirty years. But like any self-respecting scientist, he still continued his work.

His Great Uncle Ford had only come into his life when he was closer to thirteen than twelve, staying with his Grunkle Stan for the summer in a town called Gravity Falls where his Grunkle ran a tourist trap. He hadn't known for most of the summer that Grunkle Stan had a twin brother who was in fact Great Uncle Ford!

During his first summer in Gravity Falls he had his fair few run-ins with monsters, demons and other supernatural creatures. He was actually friends with some of them! And enemies of others. He could never see mini-golf the same way again. Plus, he now had a sudden fear of garden gnomes, scared they would come to life and start making his life hell again.

Yep, there was no shortage of weird in Gravity Falls. The locals had become acclimatised to it and just saw it all as another part of a normal day. Zombie attack? Had one last week. Demon hell bent on world domination? Yawn. Screeches coming form the woods? Eh, it was probably just the dinosaurs.

But the town was land-locked. There was a lake that held their own version of Nessie the Gobblewonker that was actually made of metal but it brought in tourists. The ocean however, was _begging_ to be explored. So, explore it they would.

The three of them planned and planned as Grunkle Stan refused to be left behind on this mission. He hadn't seen his brother in over thirty years, he wasn't leaving now. They had their ups and downs over the years and had to straighten out some arguments. Like Grunkle Stan stealing Great Uncle Ford's identity. That had been an aggravating day for everyone and Stan's black eye and cut lip was a constant reminder for about a week. Plus, they didn't know what they would face. It was possible that this would be the last time they saw land; ever. They could die at sea. All three of them knew that and excepted the risks.

So, when all plans were finalised and all the necessary funds were raised; the trio finally headed west to the ocean. When they arrived at the harbour, they were shown to their ship the Stan O' War II. Dipper's great uncles had the original Stan O' War when they were kids and they named their new boat after it for old times sake.

After making sure they had everything they could possibly need on their expedition, they cast off and set sail for adventure and discovery.

The voyage was planned to last three months. When the storm hit they had been on the open ocean for a month or so. They had already gathered a lot of information that Great Uncle Ford was very excited about. With him doing the diving and actual research, Dipper cataloguing and organising what was found and Grunkle Stan controlling the boat; they made the perfect team. Dipper sometimes wished that there was another person with them though, there was a lot of research to get through.

They also had to deal with the rapid changes in weather conditions. Some days it wasn't safe for Great Uncle Ford to dive. On those days they planned for future days, went over the data they'd already gathered or tried to catch up on the last thirty years. Dipper greatly enjoyed listening to his great uncle's stories. He wished he had stories like that to tell the next generation when he got to their age.

Other times they had to deal with pirates. Their first encounter with them had sacred Dipper. They were terrifying, especially when they realised that they didn't have anything of value on board. Most usually settled for a handful of gold coins and then left them alone. Dipper had wondered why they brought money on the trip.

One pirate ship had actually seemed interested in what they were researching and told them some stories that might help their exploration. Dipper liked to believe they parted as friends with that particular vessel.

He was constantly being surprised on this trip. He was having the time of his life! There was nowhere else he'd rather be.

The day of the storm started normal enough. Breakfast in the brig, reviewing their findings from the day before and talking about what they were hoping to find that day.

Ford was confident they were near a mermaid's nest and Dipper was super excited about that. The plan was to try and locate it today and hopefully engage tomorrow. Ford had asked Stan to come along in case things got ugly.

The pirates that was interested in what they were doing said they were in the right area but depending on the tribe they encountered, their experience could drastically change. Some nests were peaceful, others were violent and some toed the line between the two.

Dipper was going to man the boat. Stan had been slowly teaching him in case something like this ever arose. He was proud that his great uncles deemed him ready for the responsibility. He was still nervous though but he could do it. He had to. If he proved himself capable of controlling the boat, maybe Ford would teach him to dive and he could have a more hands on experience. That would be amazing. But one step at a time.

His great uncles were under the surface when the storm rolled in. Dipper tried to control the boat but he physically didn't have the strength. Grunkle Stan teasingly called him 'noddle arms' but he was right. Dipper had no upper body strength and the storm was battering the boat like it had personally offended it. Dipper held onto the ships wheel for dear life but it wasn't enough. The sea reared up in a humongous wave and crashed into the side of the boat with such force, Dipper thought it was going to capsize. Water sloshed all over the deck causing him to lose his footing. He went down hard and he was pretty sure he hit his head on something but that was the least of his worries right then. He'd lost his grip and was now at the mercy of the ocean.

The ocean did not know the meaning of the word. Another wave hurled over and dragged Dipper with it right over the side. He hit the cold water with a shock and was immediately pulled under. He made the stupid mistake of trying to breath and got a lungful of salt water. He tried to find the surface, he needed to breath! He was going to drown, he could feel it.

Some how even with his panicked mind he broke the surface and after coughing up what felt like most of his lung; he took deep shaking breaths of glorious sweet air. The waves were still churning and doing their best to drag him under again.

Even after breaking the surface Dipper couldn't tell where he was. The boat couldn't be that far away but being under the waves had disorientated him. He knew he should look around calmly but his bodies primal instinct to survive had taken over. He was pumped with so much adrenaline he couldn't think straight.

Looking around wildly, salt water splashing into his eyes and bobbing up and down roughly he managed to find the Stan O' War II. His mind calmed a little bit as he located his goal but not by much. He now had the overwhelming urge to reach the boat; there would be less risk of drowning then.

Swimming with all his strength, Dipper tried to head towards the boat, only to realise he was being pushed back farther from his goal. He was trying to swim against the current. One cannot swim against the current. With one final forlorn glance at the boat – Dipper said a silent goodbye to his family and prayed that his great uncles would make it out of this alive – and gave himself to his fate, thus bringing him to now.

His arms were getting weaker and weaker as he tread water and he was unsure of how much longer he could keep it up. The waves were calmer now but he had used a lot of energy to stay afloat when they were raging. They dragged his head under multiple times and he'd swallowed a lot of sea water.

He was tired. So, so tired. He could have a nap couldn't he? He felt himself start to drift off in unconsciousness. Only two would miss him; if they hadn't already met their ends. His parents were long dead and he had no siblings. He knew he had other family but they weren't close, that was why he know lived with his great uncles. He only had his great uncles. No one else.

With those final thoughts, Dipper's eyes closed and his chocolate brown head disappeared into the depths below.


	3. Burn Coral Burn

**A/N: I am on a roll! An update every week so far. I'm so proud of me!**

 **This was actually the first chapter I completed for this story but it fits better as chapter 3 in the timeline of the story.**

 **Enough babbling, enjoy!**

* * *

Trying to swim through a storm was a bad idea. No, make that a stupid idea. A very, very stupid idea.

He'd known it was coming. He was warned as he left and he could sense it himself. But did he listen? Of course not.

He did what he wanted when he wanted. He only had himself to look out for anyway.

He was sure that he wouldn't be gone long. He just had to get away for a while. Bad memories hounded him in that place. Twenty minutes at the absolute most, he didn't have a death wish. And, then he got distracted.

Those coral reefs were just too pretty. The shades of pink, red, orange and blue; contrasted with black and white was just too beautiful. Too perfect and lovely. So; naturally; they had to be destroyed.

Bill didn't like pretty things. In fact; he loathed them. They reminded him of what was. Before he lost everything. If he was going to suffer, everyone else was going to suffer with him. Sharing _is_ caring after all.

Using his elemental magic, he lit an orange one on fire. He swam back a bit and watched the fire jump from coral to coral. It always fascinated him how easily fire spread. He waited transfixed as the coral burnt to a crisp. His lazy smirk turned malicious as the burnt remains drifted through the waves all around him. Destruction was beautiful, wasn't it.

All sirens had elemental magic. Water control was the most common as it was their natural element. Earth control was the second most common after water. It was mostly used to form buildings out of the sea bed but it could be used defensively if the need arose.

Air and Fire magic was rarer as there was no real need for that kind of magic. Those that could wield Air magic made up a strong percentage of the army though. Air magic was strong when concentrated and if used at the same time as Water magic they could capsize invading human ships and push back other tribes from trying to attack.

Fire magic was the one really out of place. It should have held no power underwater but those that were born with the skill could use it no matter their surroundings. A fact that no one understood, just excepted. Other sirens feared the fire users as fire brought destruction and danger. They weren't shunned but were given a wide berth.

So being a fire user made him more of an outcast then he already was. Not that anyone dared say it to his face.

His outcast status had started basically the second he hatched due to his colour. His hair and tail were gold – the cursed colour. Gold was considered cursed as that's what humans hunted in the sea. Anything shiny really but gold was the worst as it was one of the most valuable. The other sirens and various sea life tended to avoid him because of this. He was a hunting target and if he was spotted, they could be taken with him.

Throw on his rude personality and desire for danger he wasn't that well liked. He was the kind that mothers warned their children about and swam away from quickly. But this suited him fine. He didn't like any of them anyway. Though, being alone for most of his life had started to take its toll. He was pretty sure he was going insane; he coped though.

So, there he was, merrily burning coral and the other surrounding plants – just because he could – when the storm rolled in.

It happened all at once, the waves picked up speed and he could hear the wind from above the waves. He hoped he didn't get caught in any riptides. They were nasty pieces of work.

He hadn't realised how far he had drifted from his tribe in his destructive haze but he was confident he could make it before the storm got any worse. He was a fast and strong swimmer, one of the best if he said so himself.

He was about two miles out when he saw the body.

Normally he wouldn't care and carry on his way but this storm had picked up with startling speed and another siren may have been caught in it. If they were unconscious they could die. He may be cold and rude and disliked by the others but he wasn't heartless. The humans hunted them enough, the last thing the tribe needed was a storm killing them off.

As he swam closer he could see the body clearer through the distortion that the water created and realised the body had no tail. It was human. Instantly wary but intrigued he swam closer and caught the slowly descending body in his arms. He had never seen a human this closer before.

Like everybody else, when he came of age he was taken to the surface to finally see the human world. They watched from afar though, afraid to be spotted. They hadn't spent much time there. It was basically 'that's where the humans live, never go there' and then back down into the depths.

He was fascinated. The body itself wasn't much to look at. Small, pale and short brownish hair that was fanning around their head revealing a strange marking on its forehead. Was it the mark of the human's tribe? The forehead was a strange place to put it though, most chose their arms or chests. The human's eyes were also closed and he noticed there was a red substance flowing from its forehead. Was it injured?

Pulling the human's body closer and tightening his grip he swam upwards. He knew enough about humans to know that if it stayed underwater for a long period of time it would die. Humans called that process 'drowning'. It was a strange concept to the sirens as they could breath underwater and above it.

He didn't particularly care if the human died, now that he'd made sure it wasn't a follow siren. However, if it lived he could ask it questions about humans and their lifestyle. He wasn't overly curious but he wanted to know why everyone thought of them as threats. This human didn't look like it could hurt a clown fish.

Together they broke the water's surface and he blinked, adjusting to the change in light. The storm was still raging, though nowhere near as awful as it had been. He noticed a group of sea stacks towards the east that were fairly level to the ocean. They would soon be eroded under the sea but they would be able to hold the human for now at least.

He hoisted the body onto the sea stack with some difficulty. Bodies were a lot heavier out of the water. With the human safely in the centre of the sea stack so that it was no longer at risk of 'drowning'; he waited for it to do something. It was still alive as far as he could tell with his limited knowledge on the species. The chest was rising and falling slowly which indicted breathing. That was something humans and sirens had in common so he was sure it was alive. Maybe.

He pulled himself up next to the human, making sure his tail was still in the water and waited; as he did so boredom set in. The storm had calmed significantly, stopping as suddenly as it had started which left him with nothing to do. He supposed he could leave the human. He had no obligation to it but now that he thought of the questions he wanted to ask he had to know the answers.

He settled to looking around the horizon. Maybe he could spot the vessel the human had come from. He could see no wreckage nearby though. The human must have drifted for a while. The only ship he could see was far of in the distance – a mere speck on the horizon. The human could have come from there but it was unlikely. The storm had been ferocious though so there was a slim possibility.

Bored of his search he turned back to the human. Its eyelids were moving. Was it waking?

Brown orbs fluttered open and darted around quickly in confused panic. They eventually landed on his face and more confusion settled in the eyes. They travelled down, taking him in and rested on his tail; now filled with wonder.

The human choked up some water and he cringed. Were all humans this disgusting?

"A – are," The human rasped, their voice sounding dangerously dry. "Are you a…" The human choked again and he found himself bored once more. "a merman?" The human finished their question and his boredom soon turned into annoyance and rage.

His face clouded and his eyes narrowed. He saw the human startle but he didn't care.

"I save your life and then you insult me!" He seethed. The tribal elders were right. Humans were so narrow-minded they assumed anything that looked vaguely humanoid with a tail was a merperson! Sirens were nothing like those egotistical, full of themselves, selfish, sea-urchins!

The human's eyes widened in fear and they hurried to say something else.

"I'm sorry." It stumbled. "I didn't mean to insult you!"

He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes more. Leaning in to study the human's expression he deemed the apology sincere.

"It's alright human. Merpeople are a distance cousin of sorts. Of course, you'd be confused." He still had his arms crossed but no longer glared at the human. He flipped his tail to bring some water back up as the top half of his tail that wasn't in the water was starting to dry out.

The human watched with curiosity in its eyes as he did so.

"Then, if you don't mind my asking, what are you?" The human met his eyes and he saw the genuine thirst for knowledge in them. The human then tried to lift itself into a sitting position and gasped out in pain as they realised their injury.

They raised their hand to where the red substance had come from and pulled it back to inspect it. Once it dawned on them what it was their eyes promptly rolled back and they fainted hitting their head hard on the rock beneath them.

He sighed exasperated. "Stupid humans." He muttered to himself as he moved the human into a more comfortable position for when they woke next.

Flipping his tail again, he gazed back out onto the open ocean. He noted with faint interest that the ship he had noticed earlier seemed to be heading in their direction.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you think, especially Bill's characterisation; I'm trying to make him more like canon in this story than my other Gravity Falls fics. All my love!**


	4. Port Side Ready to Fire

**A/N: Sorry that this one is a day late guys! This last week was quite busy because of my birthday!**

 **Enough about me, enjoy!**

* * *

Wendy stood at the helm observing her crew. Old man McGucket next to her at the ship's wheel was singing a crazy song that she couldn't make out all the words too, while he hopped from foot to foot. He stopped every now and then to cackle loudly to himself. No one understood a word he said and sometimes Wendy wasn't sure if she wanted to. The man was insane – everyone knew that – but Wendy sometimes feared knowing what made him that way. Best not to think about it, she was meant to be watching all of the crew; not just him.

She cast eyes out over the deck with a small smile gracing her features. Everyone had given their status reports after the storm faded away as quickly as it had come; leading Wendy to believe it wasn't a natural storm, but that was beside the point. She had more important things to think about at the moment.

Soos was busy along the starboard side fixing holes and gaps in the timber. The waves in that storm had been unrelenting and did some serious damage. Soos would have his work cut out for him. She'd order Tats to help him out later.

Gideon was insisting yet _again_ , that they needed to make port to replenish the infirmary. Lazy Susan had also thrown in that they'd be low on rations soon as well. Wendy had relayed all of this to the captain but there wasn't much else she could do without going against a direct order. And in all honesty she could do with having a solid ground under her feet for a few days. But they were on a mission. The captain believed they were close to their target and refused to make port until they got them.

Wendy knew she couldn't talk sense into the captain. They'd become obsessed over trying to find the siren. Wendy was willing to go to the ends of the Earth to help her captain but to do it strategically and with a plan instead of a game of cat and mouse. Wendy was starting to feel like they were the mouse.

Robbie was taking his turn in the crow's nest keeping an eye out for other ships, especially if they seemed like they worked for a government or anything gold. Their target was gold in colour, although finding some actual gold as well would not go unappreciated. Robbie was not always the most reliable crew member but he had eagle eyes. He picked up on things she either didn't notice or deemed unimportant. He was one of the most valued, if most annoying ones of the bunch.

Pacifica was doing her routine checks of he beloved cannons. How Pacifica came to join their crew was an interesting story, one that Wendy wouldn't forget anytime soon. How she looked greatly contrasted her personality but it also worked in Pacifica's favour. She looked like a sweet girl with her long blonde hair and bright blue eyes but she was nasty. Wendy had liked her instantly. The only thing she didn't like was her obsession with firearms.

She preferred to get up close and personal with her enemies. She gripped her boarding axe that hung on her right hip and rubbed the handle gently; she was itching to use it. Her cutlass hung from her left hip but her axe would forever but her weapon of choice. She liked it better and it also honoured her late father. But that wasn't all. Despite her opinion on firearms she had a flintlock hidden in one of her coat's internal pockets and a musket strapped to her back. One could never be too prepared and sometimes there wasn't the option to get in someone's face.

They faced attack daily on the ocean. More often then not it was from other pirates. They attacked each other for control of their ships or to raid them for treasure that they had plundered themselves. And they had to fight the so-called law. They were weak anyway and most you could bribe. It was pathetic really.

Wendy enjoyed fighting other pirates. At least they could be a challenge. But not many challenged their crew. They were feared all over and most tried to stay out of their way. Plus having weapons out in the open was usually enough to scare travellers into handing over their valuables. Such fun.

Casting her eyes over the deck once more, making sure everything and everyone was as it should be she decided to go see if she could convince the captain the head for port. She could only take so much of Gideon's whining. Just as she was about to go under deck Robbie called down to her from the crow's nest.

"Oi! Wendy!" He yelled loudly so she would be able to hear him. She scowled at him. He had no manners. She could throw him overboard if the mood struck her, no questions asked. And he _knew_ that.

Deciding to let it slide this time she yelled back up to him. "What is it? It'd better be important!"

"I sea gold on a sea stack." He informed her. "It's moving but I can't tell exactly what it is from here!" He looked down to make sure she was watching him and then made the hand signal indicating port side.

Wendy sucked in a breath. Something gold and moving. Could it be? She didn't dare hope. She strode swiftly to the edge of the boat, pulling her telescope from one of her many pockets as she did so. She brought it up to he eye and focused it in the direction Robbie had indicated.

It was definitely gold and it was definitely moving. But just as Robbie said, it was hard to make out. It was definitely an animal of some kind though. It seemed too big to be a simple fish but one never knew until they investigated.

Wendy decided to risk it. If her gut was wrong they hadn't lost anything but time. If her gut was right, well, then they'd found what they'd spent months hunting. Her gut was usually right.

Pocketing her telescope again, she whirled round quickly whipping her hair in her face. She tied it up as she yelled. "McGucket!" He immediately perked up knowing that something big was about to happen. "Move this ship about! Hard to port, aim for those seas stacks! The rest o' you buckos stop your lollygagging and loose those sails. We need to pick up speed!"

With that, everyone rushed into action. Wendy marched purposely towards the captains quarters and banged the door open without a second thought. She'd probably be reprimanded for it later but this was of the upmost importance.

The captain whirled around at Wendy's crashing entrance and opened their mouth to yell no doubt but was cut off.

"We've got 'im. Something gold and moving off port side. I've given the order and I'll have the nets readied momentarily."

Wendy only stayed to see the captain's jaw drop and their eyes light up before she was out the door again bellowing more orders.

"Lee! Take Tad and Toby and ready the nets! Grenda why aren't all the sails loosed yet?!"

Everyone rushed to where they needed to be. They'd done this exact thing many times only for them to lose the siren at the very end.

"We've got a siren to catch lads!" She finished pumping her fist in the air. A cheer rang out from the crew and Wendy knew they would catch him today. She could feel it. It was a smart bugger but it wouldn't outwit them today. They were more prepared than ever.

"Pacifica! I want port side cannons ready to fire on my command. We will get that bastard today whatever it takes!" She ordered the blonde.

"Aye," She drawled in response. "it would be my pleasure." Pacifica then hurried to prepare her cannons. Wendy hoped they wouldn't have to use them. The captain wanted the siren alive. It could have some limbs missing but it had to be alive.

Thinking of it, Wendy turned her attention back to the sea stacks. Even from this distance she could see that it hadn't moved. Normally it saw them coming and swam away, toying with them, baiting them to give chase.

This time, something was keeping it there. But what?

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you think! All my love!**


	5. Into The Hold

**A/N: So sorry this update took forever. Life exploded in my face for a while there. I'll just warn you know the next update might not be for a while either so hang in there. All my love enjoy!**

* * *

The human was still unconscious. It was so boring waiting for it to wake up again. Watching it faint had been hilarious though. He didn't think he'd ever be able to forget that facial expression.

As he waited, he passed the time with his Fire magic. He created shapes in the air and watched them move. To him fire seemed to dance and there was nothing more beautiful. He flipped his tail every now and then to splash water onto his body. He wasn't going to dehydrate and die for a human.

He still wasn't completely sure was he stayed with the human. After his curiosity had been satisfied, what happened then? Did he help the human back to where it came from? Could he trust it to keep its mouth shut? Would he have kill it? It seemed like a shame to have to resort to that but he would if there was no other option.

Seabirds squawked and circled overhead. They were incredibly annoying and he had half a mind to burn them. He was glad they didn't have anything like that under the sea. The most annoying thing they had to cope with sometimes was probably when a school of fish followed you around. It happened all the time though. The fish stayed close for protection and some took shines to certain sirens. It had only ever happened to him once and he'd burnt it. Accidentally; of course.

He glared up at the birds and prepared a small fire ball. He was about to launch it skyward when he felt a shift in the air. He let the fireball dissipate and looked to his right. The ship he spotted earlier was definitely coming their way. It was making a line straight for them!

He quickly scanned the ship and noted the figure head was of a wild boar. Only one ship had that figure head.

Panic rose. He prepared to flee but something stopped him.

He turned swiftly to the still unconscious human. He had a brief internal argument with himself and if you asked his opinion; he lost. He started to shake the human hoping to wake it. He knew that he might be causing it more damage but in that second he didn't care.

The human blinked rapidly as they were shaken awake.

"Wha- ?" Was all they managed to say before he pulled them both into the water.

The human choked and hit at him fiercely trying to get him to let go. He only tightened his grip. The pirates that were coming their way were ruthless hunters and they would stop at nothing to catch them. He'd had a few close calls with them before.

He couldn't believe he'd let them get this close! He could easily make out the ginger hair of the captain and several bodies running to man guns and load cannons. The sails had been loosed as well increasing the ship's speed. If they didn't leave now; they were done for.

He towed the human behind him, swimming deeper, hoping to get into an undercurrent that would carry them far away. The human appeared to not agree with this plan. It struggled and struck him wherever it could. By some case of sheer luck, the human struck him in the gills on his neck. He let go with a wince of pain and brought his palm up to rest on his now injured gill.

The human, now realising it was free stared wide-eyed at him for a second before using its split tail to power upwards. He cursed and followed. Even under the water he knew the pirate vessel was close. Chasing the human now would surely mean capture.

As he powered upwards after the human he wondered why he did. The pirates would pick up the human and he could go free. What was the problem? The problem was the conscience he had apparently grown in the last four minutes.

He was a much faster swimmer than the human and effortlessly caught up. He grabbed part of the human's split tail and pulled downward again. The human thrashed and this time he couldn't hold on. The texture of the human's split tail wasn't easy to grip. The human hit him in the face for good measure before heading upwards again.

The human broke surface spluttering before he did as he was still slightly delirious from the hit to the face. He grabbed the human quite forcefully by the shoulders and the human raised a fist to punch him but him managed to deflect it in time and held on to the humans fist to prevent further attempts.

"I'm trying to save you!" He yelled at the human. It looked confused then enraged.

"How is drowning me meant to save me?!" It yelled straight back.

He paused. Drowning. He forgot that was a thing. The pirates were way to close for comfort now. He spun the human so he was facing the oncoming ship.

"That is a ship full of pirates!" He yelled. There was no need to yell but he felt better yelling at the human. "They happen to want me dead and might kill you too!" No point in sugar-coating it.

"What? Why?" The human asked at normal volume.

"Doesn't matter right now. Just swim!" Without waiting for a response he grabbed the human's hand and began swimming away.

It was too late.

The ship fired a cannonball straight at them and they were forced to let go of each other to avoid it. The water swirled around them and he lost sight of the human. He cursed again and swam in what he thought was the right direction; only to swim right into a net.

The net tightened around him with cries of "We got somethin'!" sounding above. He started to attack the net ferociously with his hands and pointed teeth. The ropes on the net were thick and he had only managed to break two before he felt himself being lifted out of the sea.

He hissed wildly and thrashed some more but ultimately knew it was pointless. The lift was slow going as he knew ropes of that size were heavy and then adding his weight would make it heavier. His flailing probably didn't help any. He was glad he'd made it harder for them.

He was suddenly dropped roughly onto the deck of the ship and he hissed out in pain. The net was still tight which restrained his movements. He decided on the next best things which was to bare all of his sharp, pointy teeth and flare his gills in a threatening manner.

Some of the pirates stepped back but the ginger captain only smirked and stepped forward into a crouch right in front of him. In his panicked state he didn't think to use his magic. But he was sure they didn't know about it, if he kept it to himself it might aid him in escape.

"We got you now Siren. Give it up. It'll save you a lot of embarrassment." She then gave a short humourless laugh and had the audacity to try and touch him! He snapped forward quickly but she was faster in backing away. He had only clipped the cuff of her covering with his teeth. He could feel it in his mouth and he spat it out disgusted. The material was coarse and just horrible to taste.

"Leave him alone!" A voice yelled. He turned his head from the ginger captain and noticed the human was being restrained by a big human covered in black lines. It was completely drenched and was shaking. From fear, worry, cold or all three he couldn't tell. He sort of regretted his show of violence. He'd forgotten the human would probably have been captured as well.

"Shut your mouth boy!" The ginger captain yelled. She turned her smirk back to him and looked him over. He got the feeling she was thinking about which piece to cut off first.

She reached into the net and grabbed his head forcefully bringing him close to her. He held in the scream of pain, not wanting to give her the satisfaction. She pulled his hair tight and twisted. At this he did scream out but it was muffled as he refused to open his mouth.

She gave another lazy smirk and pulled a couple hairs out as she retracted her hand. He gave a low growl from the back of his throat and flipped his tail angrily. As his tail crashed back to the deck of the ship he became worried. How long could he last without water?

The ginger captain gave a sideways glance but her gaze returned to him almost immediately. "Candy?" She called out.

It was meant with a nervous sounding "Yes Ma'am?" His eyes never left hers. He would out stare her, he _would_.

"Is the tank ready?" She accepted his challenge.

"Yes Ma'am." Came the response.

"Good. Wait ten minutes before you put him in. Let 'im sweat. Or dry out. Whichever." She laughed again and his spirits sunk. Would he last ten whole minutes? Unconsciously he blinked in worry. Dammit!

She smirked again and came close to the net. She lowered her head and whispered. "I win Cipher. I always win." She stood and turned on her heel to face the rest of the crew.

"Robbie, take noodle arms here to see Gideon. After he's patched him up bring him to the galley. I want answers. Grenda, help Candy carry the thing after the whole ten minutes are up. Don't go soft now girls. Everyone else, business as usual." She finished her orders and strode into the captain's quarters.

After a moment's hesitation everyone burst into action. A dark haired and lanky man took the human from the black lined man. It looked back at me for a moment with fear in it's eyes before the one called Robbie slapped them in the back of the head and led them below deck.

Only two girls remained. A small black haired one with glasses and a big one with large muscles with their hair brought back in a ponytail.

"This is all rather exciting isn't it Grenda?" The small one said.

"Yeah!" The big one replied and he was surprised at how deep her voice was.

After that they all sat in silence waiting for the ten minutes to be over. He was drying out quickly and getting more worried by the second.

"That's ten minutes Grenda." Candy spoke, breaking the silence. Though she spoke softly it felt like a yell.

Grenda stepped forward and a hiss followed. She was undeterred though and proceeded to grab the ropes of the net and drag him across the deck. When they reached same steps Grenda made to pick him up but he hissed loudly and swiped his hand at her own.

"Alright, alright. No touching. It's gonna hurt though." She raised her hands and backed away until she was sure he wasn't going to attack her again.

He made no other noise even as he hit every step and corner. He refused to show weakness in front of these _humans_. They eventually made it to the hold where a big man was gathering supplies for something.

"Oh, hey dudes." He greeted. "Tank's in the corner over there." He indicated the corner with a thumb over his shoulder. The girls thanked him and Grenda continued her dragging, Candy following on behind.

They passed several boxes, barrels and various other materials until the reached the tank. It really was tucked away in a corner. It was mostly filled with water and had a few small holes in the lid. Candy lifted the lid while Grenda gave him a pointed look.

"I'm gonna have to pick you up now." She reasoned. He hissed back. "Oh, come on. Either you let me touch you for a minute or you die. Your choice siren." He stopped hissing. He supposed he'd have to let her touch him. Maybe he could bite her in the process for the hell of it. He nodded his assent.

She bent her knees to pick him up and he did nothing to help her. She was surprisingly gentle for such a large person. She carried him swiftly to the tank and allowed him to roll out of her arms into the water with a splash.

As soon as he hit it he felt better. He took a big gulp of the water. Sweet relief. The tank wasn't big enough in the slightest. He could maybe spread his arms out and roll over but he wouldn't be sitting up any time soon.

"I'm Grenda by the way. Just thought I should introduce myself properly. This is Candy." She pointed to the spectacled girl who raised her hand in an attempt at a wave. He narrowed his eyes. Why were they being civil towards him? "Do you have a name?" She continued. He hesitated, then nodded. "What is it?"

He couldn't tell them his real name. There was no way they'd be able to pronounce it.

"Bill Cipher of the Triangle Tribe." He gestured to his left forearm where a triangle was branded into his skin. That was his name roughly translated into their language. He wondered briefly why he told them and then why he did so, so formally. He never spoke to anyone that way.

"Very nice to meet you. We have to go now but Gideon should be down to see you soon."

Both girls waved goodbye and disappeared up the steps. A small part of him was sad to see them go.

There was nothing to do now but wait and curse himself for rescuing that human. He couldn't help but wonder if it was faring any better than him. A small part of him hoped worse but his new conscience knew the human didn't deserve it.

This whole situation was his fault because of a deal gone bad.

* * *

 **A/N: I know Wendy was a bit OOC there but she couldn't look weak in front of Bill who is her enemy. She won't be like that all the time, only when she has to for the sake of the story. Let me know what you think and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**


End file.
